This Is How I Picture Us
One of the things I love most about writing this newsletter is that it’s become a weekly reflection practice for me.
Every Thursday or Friday, I sit down and I consider the themes, patterns, conversations and questions of the past week. I mull over the events of my calendar: who I met with, what we discussed, and importantly, what learning I took away from it.
This week the throughline has been community.
(which maybe shouldn’t surprise me since I wrote a couple weeks ago about my renewed interest in community building… but still, here we are!)
It’s perhaps cliche to say that we need community – we need our people – now more than ever. And yet, it’s true.
Whether you are navigating career transition, exploring life changes, moving through a difficult season of parenting or caregiving, or simply feeling bombarded with the realities of the news cycle –
Please don’t go it alone.
The traditional use for the word ‘Wayfinding’ has its roots in nautical navigation; indigenous communities finding their way out on the open ocean, using the tools they had: the currents, the wind, the stars, and their intuition.
When I stumbled on the realization that we move through life in the same way – navigating the ‘open ocean’ of our lives – I also came upon a painful truth:
We go it alone.
In my mind, I have an image of myself in my rowboat, late at night, sitting atop of a calm, deep blue body of water.
Looking up at the stars.
Feeling the wind on my face.
Touching the cool water.
Paying attention to my inner compass.
And then lifting my gaze to the right, and seeing you in a boat next to me. With your own oar, preparing to row.
Looking left, and seeing another Wayfinder on my other side.
Then, zooming out, seeing an entire ocean filled with boats, and realizing:
We are all Wayfinders. We may all be in our own boats, yes. But we are rowing together.
Try This Out
This week, my challenge to you is to find a moment of genuine connection with someone. It’s that simple.
Make eye contact with your barista, ask them how they’re doing, and listen (really listen!) to their answer.
Send a voice note to a friend or colleague you haven’t talked to in a while, and share with them a question you’re exploring or grappling with.
Attend a local lecture, try out an art workshop, ask a neighbor to go on a walk.
Connect. Be in community. Listen. Share.
You may be in your own row boat, but there’s another person in another boat right next to you. Reach out.
What To Do Next
This week I hosted my first Innovative Leadership Salon and it was such a fun example of what it looks and feels like to learn in community. People from across industries and roles came together to talk about change –
Why change is hard
What motivates us to feel ready for change
What needs to shift in our mindset to make change happen, and so much more.
I’m already teeing up plans for March’s Salon, and I want to make sure you know you’re invited:
“What Risk is Asking of You: A more nuanced approach to leadership decisions”
Thursday, March 26 at 12pm ET
Live on Zoom
It’s free, it’s informal, and it’s a great chance to be in community with other leaders as we navigate together.
Onward,
PS: Last call for this Thursday’s Innovative Leadership Salon! Join me live to explore “How Change Actually Happens: Diagnosing where you’re stuck and what to do about it.”